Machine for clearing railway-tracks of snow



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. 'J. M. HENDERSHOT.

MAGHINE FOR GLEARING RAILWAY TRAOKS 0F SNOW.

No. 361,626. Patented Apr. 19,1887.

N PETERS. PhfllG-Lllhngnphen Washington. D. c.

(No Model.) 6 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. M. H-ENDERSHOT.

MACHINE FOR CLEARING RAILWAY TRACKS 0F SNOW. No. 361,626. Patented Apr. 19, 1887.

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00 T O H S R E D N E H M L MAGHINE FOR CLEARING RAILWAY TRAGK$ OI SNOW.

Patented Apr. 19, 1887.

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Wiineaaea WM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. HENDERSHOT, OF ATOHISON, KANSAS.

MACHINE FO R CLEARING RAILWAY-TRACKS. OF SNOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 361,626, dated April 19, 1887.

Application filed December 9, 1886. Serial No. 221.124. (N model.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES M. HENDERSHOT,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Atchison, in the county of Atchison and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Clearing Railway- Tracks of Snow, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its objects to provide a car-truck with novel and efficient means for removing snow banks and drifts from railwaytracks, delivering the snow to a fan-blower, and discharging it through a tube to either side of the track; to provide novel means whereby the snow is first taken from the top portion of the bank or drift, forced downward,

and then elevated and deposited in a fanblower, from whence it is discharged through a tube to either side of the track; to provide novel means for supporting the discharge-tube and rotating it axially for adjusting its discharge-month laterally to discharge the snow at either side of the track, and to provide a novel plow attachment which can be swung into position at the front of the car-truck for removing snow of comparatively little depth, or be swung out of position when the apparatus is to remove snow of considerable depth, such as banks or drifts. These objects I accomplish in the manner and by the construction of devices hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trackclearing machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a detail perspective view of the rolling supports for the snow-discharging tube; Fig. 4, a broken detail perspective view of the front end of the car-truck, showing the plow attachment in position to operate on snow of comparatively little depth, one part of the plow being shown as swung back out of operating position.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, where the numeral 1 indicates a cartruck of any suitable construction, on which is built the framework for the various op'erative parts of the machine. This frame comprises upper and lower horizontal beams 1, uprights 2, forwardly-inclined side beams, 3, and a rearwardly-inclined apron or frame, 4, so arrangedv and constructed that the side beams and apron diverge upwardly from their point of attachment to the lower horizontal beams and are joined at the top ends to the upper horizontal beams. The inclined apron is prolonged into or otherwise provided with an inclined shovel, 5, of such width as to extend over the railway-track, and in such close proximity thereto as to scrape up the snow directly on and between the rails and force it up the apron.

At the upper ends of the side beams, 3, and apron 4 are respectively journaled two shafts,6, carrying rigidly-attached chain-wheels 7, and at the lower ends of said beams and apron is journaled a single shaft, 8, carrying similar chain-wheels, 9. A series of endless chains, 10, pass around these chain-wheels and carry transverse steel or other suitable blades or buckets, 11, the arrangement being such that portions of the chains and blades at the front overhang the forward end of the car-truck and theshovel,whileotherportionsofthechains and blades travel up the rearwardly-inclined apron and thence travel horizontally, the chains thus traveling in a triangular path. The rear shaft, 6, of the chain-wheels is geared with a main drive-shaft, 12, on the truck-frame, as by a chain, 13, and chain-wheels 14, for the purpose of imparting the requisite traveling movement to the chains. I have shown four blade or bucket carrying chains, but, obviously, a greater or less number may be employed.

From the upper end of the rearwardly-inclined apron or frame extends a vertical casing, 15, opening at its lower end into the casing of a fan-blower, 16, supported by the car-truck and driven by a belt-connection, 17, with the main drive-shaft 12. The fan-blower is provided with a discharge-mouth, 18, to which is swiveled, as at 19, the lower end ofan upwardly-projecting discharge-tube, 20, whichis inclined and adapted to rotate axially by its swiveled attachment 19, for the purpose of laterally adjusting the discharge-mouth of the tube to either side of the framework, so that the snow can be discharged at either side of mit of its easy axial rotation to adjust the delivery-mouth as may be desired. The axial rotation of the dischargetube may be effected by any suitable means, consisting, as here shown, of an annular series of cogs, 24, rigid on the tube,with which engagesa pinion operated by a shaft.

The scraper-blades 11 may be of any suitable construction, and the whole arrangement is such that when the car is advanced by a locomotive the upper portion of the overhanging chains and blades first operates on the top part-of the snow bank or drift, acting to detach the snow and scrape it downward to and upon the rearwardly inclined apron or frame, on which it is elevated by the upwardly-moving blades and deposited in the vertical casing at the upper end of the apron, by which it is conducted into the fan-blower. The latter acts to force the snow through the discharge-tube, from which it is forcibly ejected at either side of the track, according to the position of the delivery-mouth of the tube.

The maindrive-shaft is operated by a suitable engine on the car-truck, which I do not deem it necessary to illustrate, inasmuch as it may be of any suitableconstruction, and supplied with steam from a boiler on the car-truck or from the boiler of the locomotive.

Where the snow is in light drifts, or from one to two feet in depth, I provide a plow attachment composed of two sections, 25, hinged re-v spectively at their inner ends to the sides of the car-truck, at the forward end thereof, which sections can be swung backward along the sides of the car-truck when not required, as shown in Fig. 4, or be swung forward and connected at their outer ends by bolts or otherwise, to form a V-shaped projecting plow, when required, as in Fig. 1.

The frame-work overhanging the forward end of the car-truck, in connection with the overhanging portion of the endless chains carrying blades or buckets, comprises important features of the invention, in that by first attacking the snow bank or drift at its top the progress of the work is more rapidly and easily effected. The endless chains traveling in a triangular pathway provide for first detaching the top part of the snow-drift and scraping or moving it downward to and upon the inclined apron and then elevating the snow thereupon to deposit it in the fansblower, from which it is forced through the dischargetube to either side of the car.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is' 1. The combination, with a car -truck,' of endless traveling chains having blades or buckets overhanging the forward end of the truck and traveling in a direction down the forward end of its supporting-frame to first attack the top part of a snow bank or drift, and an inclined apron or frame upon which the detached snow is elevated, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a car-truck, of endless traveling chains having blades or buckets overhanging the forward end of the truck to first attack the top part of a snow bankor drift and scrape the snow downward, an inclinedapron or frame on which the detached snow is elevated, a blower receiving the snow from the upper end of the apron or frame, and a discharge-tube for delivering the snow where desired, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a car-truck, of endless traveling chains having blades or buckets overhanging the forward end of the truck, to first attack the top part of a snow bank or drift and scrape the snow downward, a rearwardly-inclined apron or frame on' which the detached snow is elevated, a blower, acasing for'conducting the snow from the upper end of the apron or frame to the blower, and a discharge-tube for delivering the snow where desired, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a car-truck, of

endless traveling chains having blades or buckets overhanging the forward end of the truck to first attack the top part of a snow bank or drift and scrape the snow downward, a rear- "wardly-inclined apron or frame on which the detached snow is elevated by the blades or buckets, a blower into which the snow is conducted from the upper end of the apron or frame, and a dischargetube swiveled to the discharge-mouth of the blower to rotate axially, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. The combination, with a car-truck and endless chains having snow detaching blades or buckets, of a blower into which the detached snow is conducted, a discharge tube swiveled to the discharge-mouth of the blowercasing, and rolling bearings supporting the tube and 'on which it can axially rotate, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a car-truck and endless chains having snow-detaching blades or buckets, of a blower into which the detached snow is conducted, a discharge-tube swiveled to the discharge-mouth of the blower, the plates carrying shafts provided with wheels supporting the tube, and means for axially rotating the tube on the wheels, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. The combination, with a car-truck, endless chains having snow-detaching blades/or buckets, and the inclined apron or frame, of the plow attachment consisting of sections hinged to-the forward end of the. truck to fold rearwardly along the sides thereof or in front ICO thereof to provide aprojecting plow, substaneled connection with the blower, substantially [o tialiy as and for the purpose described. as described.

8. The combination of endless chains hav- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in ing snow detaching blades or buckets and presence of two witnesses. traveling in a trian ular ath, supports for the chains, an inclin d apr gn or frame, a plow l JAMES HENDERSHOT' attachment, a blower into which the snow is Witnesses: conducted from the upper end of the apron A. F. MARTIN, or frame, and a discharge-tube having a swiv- O. WEBER. 

